Model of the moment, Cara Delevingne, made tech and fashion history on Monday when she posted a live video straight from the runway. Known for setting trends, this was a fashion industry first, and so something we at The Practice were keen to reflect on. So just which digital trends have been launched on the catwalk in the past, and what can we expect in the future?

Never one to shun the spotlight, Cara stunned the audience at Giles Deacon’s London Fashion Week show by cruising down the catwalk with her iPhone in tow, clearly engaged in a video selfie. The model proceeded to film a total of six videos of herself strutting down the runway sticking her tongue out, and excitedly shouting: ‘It’s about to happen. It’s about to happen,’ and, ‘Oh my gosh! The first live video from the catwalk!’ Later, she posted these to Instagram, receiving thousands of likes and comments from fans excited by her daring performance. We love the fact that this display shows how readily designers are willing to embrace social media, live-streaming and technology for promotional purposes, and to heighten the sense of theatre. We also like how something so simple as a series of Instagram videos can make those of us not lucky enough to be present in the front-row (ie. All of The Practice team!), feel included in the action.

This year, we’ve seen Cara and Giles Deacon make history, but which other designers have led the way in seasons past?  September 2012 was a particularly revolutionary time for the show season’s tech innovations, with Diane von Furstenberg famously having her models walk the runway wearing Google Glass headsets. We loved the fact that this truly was a great display of fashion and tech combining harmoniously; the headsets for example, matched the colour palette of the collection whilst also being embedded with cameras that filmed the scene for a documentary. It was also the year when we first saw live-streaming emerge from the shows, with designers such as Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs and Prabal Gurung giving spectators real-time access to both the backstage area and catwalk. And this was arguably the year which saw the fashion blogger rise to prominence- with notable stars such as Leandra Medine of The Man Repeller for example, host live-steam events straight from the catwalk. The last show season in 2013 saw even more new stunts, as designers embraced the latest technology. Burberry, for example, made use of the new iPhone 5S iSight camera to live-stream its show, while also being the first brand to allow customers to “pin” the new collection straight from Pinterest, ready to purchase, setting a trend in instant digital retail.

Most notably though, we’ve seen the greatest evolution this season, not in fashion retail or live-streaming, but in tech product placement. After Diane von Furstenberg’s Google Glass showcase, designer Fyodor Golan can be said to have followed suit this year by collaborating with Nokia. The partnership saw him create the world’s first interactive skirt made from more than 80 Nokia Lumia 1520 and 1020 handsets, joined together by a special harness. The skirt’s incredible feature is its composition of static pictures captured by each phone that change around the wearer depending upon their movements throughout the day. And what’s more, the screens also change colour when the skirt moves, mimicking the shimmer effect of a lustrous fabric.

So what do we forecast for the next show season? Certainly, whichever new tech device or app feature launched next will undoubtedly feature. Whether that’s on the runway, incorporated into a design, or taking advantage of a new video/image-based feature to showcase products, it will all be about celebrating the latest and coolest. And as with Cara, we think that the fashion industry will be quick to select the latest “It-model” to be part of a new digital stunt, or even make greater use of its celebrity blogger outreach. The other big evolution we forecast for future seasons is the concept of “shoppable” runway videos on YouTube, following the success of eBay, who demonstrated this last time. Whether that’s instantaneous e-commerce during a live-stream or via specially created videos, we see fashion increasingly responding to the consumer’s demand for immediate purchasing.

Which do you think have been the most noteworthy and copied trends at Fashion weeks past? And which trends do you think we will see continue and evolve further next time? We’d love to hear your view, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and share your thoughts on our Facebook page. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram too- we might not have posted any selfies, but it’s still worth a look!